build_a_bear_group

I see a lot of good faith attempts to point out their issues from Hexbear.

I think they're cool.

I recently, on a whim, decided to shave. I haven't been clean shaven for a while. And between the balding and my black frame glasses, I think I kind of look like a younger Erich Honecker.

I have a similar thing, and I have found that certain shoes with the right lacing pattern work well. Basically, buy something with a big toe-box, but most of the lacing concentrated on the center of the foot so that you can narrow it by lacing it tight. I find that certain Xero shoes, and most iterations of Merrell Trail Gloves work well for this.

IDK, I used to really recommend Red Wing, but I have been repeatedly told that over the last decade (I have had mine for, I think, 12 years, so not from first-hand experience) their quality has very consistently getting worse. So maybe some caution there.

No, ignoring the extremely limited efficacy and right-wing bias of electoralism, their entire point is just being the "Not Republican Party". As long as they can only offer that and nothing else, and still be electorally competitive, they never have to improve and will actively fight against improvement. Additionally, they actually do more to aid the Republicans and right-wing agenda as long as they are really ineffective and out-of-touch and in people's minds voting for them is the only real opposition the Republicans, while constantly capitulating to Republicans on issues like trans rights. But ultimately, this is why the Republicans are much more responsive to what their base wants, since even if they are reactionary, and can somewhat generate the culture war issues, they are the only party offering a positive agenda. (Positive in the sense of a politics of making changes and advancing agendas rather than just saying that the other party is worse. Not saying their agenda is good, obviously)

So, yes, there is some times, particularly on close elections or local elections where you can get improvement by voting Democrat over some Q-anon or MAGA psycho. But you also have to admit, especially with Federal elections, not voting for Democrats is not really making things worse or doing less "harm mitigation" than voting for a Biden, or whatever right-wing bigot the Democrats throw up next. Especially if, even on things like LGBTQ rights, they immediately capitulate and take the Republican position, just with more polite rhetoric.

You're right. They are more of the Uvalde Cops to the Republicans school shooter. Even when they nominally have power they wont even rhetorically fight back, let alone use that power, to defend LGBTQ people in any way.

So you think that rewarding the Democrats for having the only standard be "Our senile, racist, rapist, corrupt, reactionary war criminal doesn't have an orange spray tan" is going to "get the job done"? Or just the entire party being the polite, norms-respecting Republicans.

Yeah, Obamacare was way too generous and left-wing when it was the Romney-care plan before being reduced and heavily means tested.

Real Galt's Gulch has never been tried.